When it makes sense to say "NO" to replacing your printers

Sounds strange coming from a printer sales guy, right? Well, times change and one thing I’ve learned over the years is adapting to change is a key to success. That’s why you may want to take a fresh look at the idea of updating or upgrading your printer fleet, looking through a new set of lenses.

Refreshing or replacing a printer fleet can be overwhelming. Many companies replace their entire fleet based on age, or volume or based on the fact they have budget. But what they're missing is the wholistic picture. The process for replacing hundreds, if not thousands of units at a time, is not only extremely costly, it may be a burden on the entire organization.

Getting rid of fully functioning and healthy devices just because they have been around for four or five years – especially if they continue to perform at a high rate – may be wasteful and costly. Printers may actually be more difficult to replace than other IT infrastructure because they are integral to the network, each one with their own IP address.

The key to any replacement strategy is understanding the usage of your machines. Usage data allows you to prepare a more informed refresh plan. Selectively replacing printers based on their usage data – instead of blindly replacing the entire fleet – is both cost-effective and sustainable.?

So, next time your IT staff says, “time to replace our printers,” you may want to push back and ask to first examine the usage data before moving forward.?

If you have questions, or may need additional information or insights, feel free to reach out and connect with me directly. If you wish, I will try to find the right personnel who can help you get a better handle on your current printer fleet and when might be the right time to replace or upgrade.